


Pancakes

by Thegoldenlock



Category: Persona 3, Persona Series
Genre: Domestic Fluff, F/M, Fluff, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-18 00:29:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 18,546
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18975292
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Thegoldenlock/pseuds/Thegoldenlock
Summary: Akihiko dislikes sugary stuff but tells Minako what he likes the most. She decides to prepare a special gift for him but everything turns up-side-down.Who would have thought that pancakes could change their relationship?





	1. Valentine

**It´s February the 13th,** and just like Fuuka requested, all the girls staying at the SEES dorm has gathered in the kitchen to make chocolate for valentine's day. Fuuka, who´s terrible at cooking, wanted to make candy for the residents at the dorm, but especilly for her friend Natsuki, so the girls all agreed to help her out and take part in the event themselves as well. Some have more experience with chocolate making than others and they all share the wish to make tomorrow a grand success as well as strengthen their social links with others. The female students at school have been talking about the 14th for ages, and everyone knows that home-made chocolate is the best when you want your crush´s attention.

Fuuka is standing in the kitchen with an apron around her waist and a very serious expression on her face. The green haired girl has been taking cooking lessons with both Minako and Shinjiro, and wants to prove her skills to them and her friends. Minako can´t help but smile at her from her seat by the table. In her eyes, Fuuka is so sincere and cute in this moment. Anyone getting chocolate from her, no matter the taste, should feel pride. Yukari helps Fuuka with the ingredients since she´s still clearly doubting the other girl´s abilities in the kitchen. Mitsuru laughs as she joins Minako by the table, crossing one leg over the other.

"Why is it important to give away chocolate?" Aigis wonders in her monotone voice. Blue eyes intense, but a bit empty.

The human-looking robot is standing against the wall near the table. Her blue emotionless eyes stare at the ingredients Yukari is holding while Minako almost can hear how her man-made brain is working to figure things out. How the data she has clearly suggests against eating sweets since it´s bad for the body. Fuuka turns to Aigis to explain.

"It´s tradition to give the one you like chocolate on valentine's day." Fuuka answers sweetly. "It´s like a confession, but I think giving it to close friends is ok too. It´s a way to show them how much they mean to you. If your feelings are returned they give you a gift at White Day, a month later."

"I don´t understand." Aigis continues.

Yukari makes a bothered expression as the robot keeps on staring at the ingredients in an eerie way. "Just watch us and you might get it, okay, Aigis?"

"Understood." The android answers.

Yukari starts to read how to make the chocolate while Fuuka tries to follow the instructions as good as she can. Yukari has to keep an eye on her so she won´t make major mistakes like using too much heat so the chocolate will melt faster. No one wants to smell burnt chocolate, and that will also ruin the surprise for the guys. Shinjiro will probably guess what happened and the girls will all be ruined. Minako chuckle to herself and that makes Mitsuru glance at her from her seat next to hers. Minako tends to laugh to herself from times to times and that might seem strange to others but her red-haired senpai only smiles. Minako doesn´t know her that well yet because sometimes it seems like she´s speaking another tongue that she is. Mitsuru is so intelligent and mature, so she can´t help but feel slightly uncomfortable around her. Minako´s grades isn´t the best, and since it seems that all Mitsuru does on her free time is to study she feel a little out of place. Minako need to get along with all the persona users since Mitsuru and Akihiko appointed her as the new leader.

With that heavy responsibility on her shoulders Minako was kind of forced to get along with all the people living in the dorm. The SEES leader has gained a lot of nice friends during her stay here and she can't say she regrets moving in even though it was her transferring here that awakened her power. Minako´s crimson eyes regard the chocolate as she´s thinking to herself. She never felt needed like she does now, so she has decided to stay and can´t really say that she doesn´t enjoy being a member of SEES. They have become like a small family to her.

"Mitsuru-senpai, Minako-chan, you´re not going to make chocolate?" Fuuka asks Mitsuru and Minako.

Fuuka and Yukari looks at the two of them with curiosity in their eyes. Valentine is all about love, and that means girls talking about crushes and the person they´re interested in. Minako shrugs as a shiver runs down her spine. Valentine isn´t really her thing. Minako´s parents never celebrated nor talked about it when they were still alive so she has grown up without celebrating the day completely. Her mother didn´t teach her how to make chocolate like ordinary mothers do, and since she never learned she felt that she shouldn´t learn at all. That it is too late. Minako still thinks it´s cute how girls try to give chocolate to the one they care for. It just feels unnatural for her to do it herself.

"No." Mitsuru answers in a stern way. Her voice makes Yukari and Fuuka aware of that they won´t get any more info even if they would ask her about it.

Minako glances Mitsuru´s way and realize that she have no clue if the student council president likes someone or not. When Minako first arrived here she thought the older woman and Akihiko was a couple- she swallows hard- but after some months Minako understood that they´re just close friends. Mitsuru, Akihiko and Shinjiro were the first persona users to join SEES and the three of them have a special bond that Minako can´t really understand even though she hangs out with Akihiko from time to time. He doesn´t like to talk about the past and she has no right to force him to. Minako´s thoughts lingers at the older man who put his trust in her a lot lately.

"Ehm, okay..." Yukari shrugs. "And you Minako?"

Since Minako once again was lost in thought, her answer with what comes to her in that moment.

"No, I´m thinking of giving him something else. So I would like to borrow the kitchen after you´re done." Minako says without thinking it through first with a daydream-y smile on her lips.

Yukari and Fuuka looks at each other while a small smile appears on Mitsuru´s lips. Aigis looks as lost as ever as she leans against the wall.

"Him you say...who?" Yukari urges her friend to spill more. Even if the girls at SEES, and some at school, has seen hints of Minako liking a certain someone the leader hasn´t said it out loud. The guy she likes seems confident, but when it comes to love he is a blushing mess.

Minako flinches as the realization hits her in the face and a faint blush appears even if she tries to calm down to prevent just that. Minako was thinking about him the moment she answered, so it came out naturally, but she didn´t really want them to know about it. Not yet. Not when she isn´t sure what he feels about her. Yukari´s eyes widen at Minako´s reaction and Minako can see how she wants to ask her more about it. Minako curses herself. Valentine will be different for her this year because there is a guy that she thinks she likes more than just a friend. Minako won´t make chocolate to him, so it won´t really be a confession, but the idea itself scares her now when she knows she has to give her planned gift to him tomorrow. Minako looks down at the floor as she avoids Yukari´s eyes. Just as she opens her mouth to say some sort of excuse Mitsuru interrupts her.

"It´s Akihiko, am I correct?" Mitsuru asks Minako with that small smile still on her lips painted in a perfect shade of red.

The blush on Minako´s face grows even redder as the older teen guesses right. Yukari looks at Minako with wide eyes due to surprise, it seems that she hadn´t noticed how the girl´s feelings for Akihiko grew even though they hangs out pretty often. That, or she hadn´t thought it to be true. Minako can be an enigma at times after all. Fuuka stays silent just as Aigis but she looks less confused than the robot girl. Smiling cutely to herself.

Mitsuru is right; Minako is interested in Akihiko. Minako doesn´t know when it started but it all happened naturally as they slowly got to know each other. Minako finds him very attractive- like many do- he is handsome and all the girls at school know that- but she has been feeling something different than attraction to him lately and the emotion confused her for some time. Minako likes how he is so passionate about his training, how he´s completely unaware of that all the girls hanging around him wants to date him, and the way he blushes when she somehow manage to get under his skin. He´s dense but smart at the same time just as he is very popular with the girls but still so innocent when love is concerned.

Minako looks at Mitsuru while being slightly afraid of her being against her feelings for him but she doesn't look discontented or angry with her, she looks slightly happy. The older girl acts like she won on the lottery when she, and the three other girls there, understands that she was right. Yukari shakes her head as if she can´t believe that Minako is liking someone like Akihiko.

"H-how?" Minako stutters while looking at Mitsuru. "How did you find out?"

"You´ve been spending more time with him lately and I know Akihiko is picky with who he hangs with, so I guess that you have to get along quite well." Minako´s senpai tells her with a gentle smile."And you get a certain expression around him, when you talk about him or when he is mentioned."

"I do? Well—" The blush fades as Minako tries to come up with some sort of excuse. "—I just want to show him my appreciation but It´ll be a challenge... I mean, his fans will surely swarm around him with their fancy gifts."

"Do I hear some jealousy?" Yukari giggles."Yeah senpai sure is famous with the girls but he doesn´t seem to understand the motives beneath their approaches..."

Minako blinks and look down in shame. It´s true, she´s mad at the girls because they can show their feelings that openly. Minako isn´t like that. Saying stuff like "I think you´re great!" would only label her as one of his many fangirls and that´s not what she wants. Minako has had the opportunity to get to know a different side of him since she joined SEES and she knows a lot of them think that that´s unfair. Like anyone in love Minako is scared of being rejected. Minako is interested in a very popular guy who happens to not be interested in anything other than working out and gain power. Minako bets he would think that a girlfriend would only be in his way, and that it wouldn´t be worth spending time with her since he could use that time to train. Still, Akihiko would never hurt someone´s feelings like that. A sigh leaves her lips. No, she decided to do this so there´s no backing out now!

"I´ve understood that Akihiko-senpai dislikes sweets so I thought that I should make him something special, you know ...so he´ll be happy." Minako takes a deep breath with a smile growing on her lips. "When we were at a café some days ago he told me he likes pancakes..."

Mitsuru´s eyes widen a fraction and it makes Fuuka look at her. Minako also wonder what´s wrong so she stops talking.

"Senpai?" Fuuka questions her.

"He took you to a café?" Mitsuru asks Minako in a surprised voice.

Minako nods while wondering why that is such a strange thing to do.

"That´s something new. Akihiko rarely visit those kinds of places." Mitsuru loses herself in her thoughts for a moment before she continues to explain. When she had wanted to visit a new place, it was always Shinji who tagged along. "Cafés are always crowded with girls so he tries to avoid it as much as possible."

"Oh, yeah." Minako nods as she recalls how some girls approached them when they ate cake.

They weren´t happy about that Minako was with Akihiko all by herself, and they even accused her of stealing him after saying that she was Junpei´s girlfriend. Minako has never been accussed of cheating before, especially since she don´t have a boyfriend. Minako´s stomach turns ice-cold at the memory and it makes her regret her decision once again. That probably made Minako look really bad in Akihiko´s eyes since he asked Minako about her relationship with Junpei after that. It had made her chest tighten up in ways she didn´t know it could. Minako has enough confidence to stand up to those girls, but they sure know how to make her feel terrible. Minako can still remember the glares they gave her the first time Akihiko asked her to go out and eat with him. Minako almost declined because she was so frightened of them. The thing that makes her smile at the memory is the way he took her hand and pulled her away from them. His hand felt so big and warm and Minako almost wanted to hold on to it longer when he apologized, asking if he had crushed her hand, when they reached the dorm.

"Isn´t that a little risky? Making pancakes for him…" Yukari asks sincerely. "You´re supposed to give chocolate at valentine's day so you might not get the message through to him. I mean he is a bit dense when it comes to girls and love already..."

"I know but… I´m not sure if I should… ehm, confess or just say that it´s a present." Minako ponders out loud.

"Giving it to him tomorrow will mean you like him. It´s valentine´s for God´s sake!" Yukari exclaims loudly, thinking her friend is hesitating too much, even if she knows that if she was in Minako´s shoes she would probably hesitate all the same.

"I think that sounds like a good idea." Mitsuru tells Minako with a grin. "After what I´ve heard tonight it seems that you two are closer than I thought."

Minako looks at upper-classman with confusion because she have no idea why she is grinning, it´s like she´s picturing the outcome of Minako giving Akihiko pancakes in her head. It´s scary but Minako truly appreciates what she said. Mitsuru has known Akihiko for the longest among them all. It gives her comfort.

"You think so? I want to give him something that´ll show him my feelings and I know they won´t reach him if I give him something he dislikes... so I think it´s worth the risk. I´ll break the tradition and give him pancakes tomorrow!" Minako says with a bit more enthusiasm.

"I still think it´s risky but if you give it your all, it might work." Yukari smiles. "Fuuka, what do you think?"

"I think he would be happy to get a present from you." She smiles at Minako, excitment in her big eyes.

Minako smiles at the girls and nods. At first she thought Akihiko was a guy who thought too much about power and gaining strength but as they spent more time together she learned that he has a reason to be like that. He lost someone precious to him due to the lack of strength and it´s bugging him greatly since then. However, he´s as lost as them too, not knowing why he´s fighting and if it´s worth it. Minako was so happy when he told her about Miki, not because of what happened, but that he started to open up to her. Gaining his friendship and trust was hard and Minako still wonder if they are as close as she think they are. He is precious to her in a way no one except her parents have been and she doesn´t want to lose him.

"Don´t worry, Akihiko wouldn´t turn his back on you." Mitsuru tells Minako, giving her yet another push in the right direction.

Minako smiles and nods even though she isn´t certain the older woman is correct just yet. The girl sighs nervously, but ends up smiling. Minako is always confident when fighting shadows but she can´t say she´s that positive when love is concerned. Minako knows that Akihiko can fight them off easily but she isn´t sure he can love her or if he would want to. Yukari and Fuuka bake some wonderful looking chocolates and Minako can´t help but want to taste them. Yukari is strict though and tells her it´s for the guys and not for her. Minako laughs. The two of them are planning to give everyone a piece of chocolate in the morning before school since it´ll probably be hard to give them their gift at school or after. They are all still going to Tartarus after all; Minako´s orders. They still need to clear some more floors before they can relax for some days.

"Don´t stay up too late." Mitsuru tells Minako as it´s her turn to use the kitchen.

"Good night, you guys!" Minako tells them as Yukari, Mitsuru and Fuuka goes to bed.

"You´re staying Aigis?"

"Yes, my mission is to protect you." She answers.

"O-okaaaay."

Aigis watches over Minako in silence as she starts to prepare the pancakes. Minako makes sure to not use as much sugar as she normally would because she know Akihiko wouldn´t like that. Minako smiles to herself as she cracks the eggs open and let the interior fall into the bowl. Minako isn´t a great cook but she does know how to make pancakes. Her lessons with Fuuka and Shinji has payed off. Minako has been living on her own since her parents died so she had to learn how to prepare food to herself because cup-ramen isn´t the beat meal out there. Minako lets the dough fall down into the frying pan and she enjoys the scent of it. When they´re all done Minako puts some cream and jam between and cut it to the proper size. Minako put the cake in a small red box and tie a white ribbon around it.

"It´s done!"

"We´re back!" Junpei shouts from the entrance.

Minako´s body trembles at the sudden sound and she almost drop the box. Minako is able to hide her gift before they appear in the room and she sighs with relief. That was a close call!

"Welcome back." Aigis tells them in her indifferent voice.

"You have been making something?" Shinjiro asks Minako with a frown. The kitchen is his territory, and even if everyone uses it from time to time now it´s too late to eat a snack.

"Yeah, I got hungry." Minako says while trying to sound honest.

"You know it´s not good for girls to eat this late." Junpei smirks at her. "You´re not afraid of becoming fat?"

"Hey...!" Minako warns him. "You jerk. I´m not, because I´m exercising unlike you!"

"Ouch! Minako-chan, you sure know how to hurt my feelings." Junpei laughs while gesturing with his hands. "Well I´m off to bed.´Night."

"Good night." Minako mutters. "Eh, why go to bed this early?"

Junpei is the kind of person who stays up all night to play video games so it´s unusual for him to go to bed this early.

"It´s valentine´s day tomorrow!" He smiles broadly. "It´ll go faster if I go to bed earlier."

"Hn." Shinjiro snorts before he turns to Minako. "Make sure to clean up."

"Yes sir!"

"I´m expecting some chocolate from you tomorrow Minako-chan." Junpei shouts from the stairs before he disappears.

Minako is busy glaring at Junpei so she doesn´t notice how Ken and Akihiko approaches her. Ken seems to be curious about what she ate while she can´t read the older guy´s expression at all. His eyes seem a bit more attentive than usual. As if he too, is curious about what Minako is up to. Minako´s cheeks turn a little red as the silver haired young man looks at her and she tries to act as normal as possible.

"Did you have a nice time?" Minako asks him.

"Yeah." Akihiko smirks softly, eyes looking at her. "It was a good movie."

"I agree." Ken nods as he takes a glass of water. "The heroine was really cool when she took that, did that and—" He explains.

"Ooh sounds fun, maybe I should check it out? Hey Ken, it´s time for you to go to bed." Minako smiles at him gently.

"Aww man." Ken complains loudly.

Akihiko and Minako smiles as Ken glares at them before he also goes to bed after taking another glass of water. It´s nice to have someone like Ken around, someone young who hasn't lost that imagination… But being a child doesn´t change that he also has a dark past. Minako´s smile fades a bit. At least they should make sure he eats well, gets sleep, and has some fun.

"You should go to bed too, you look tired." Akihiko tells her with a hint of concern in his voice. "We have school tomorrow…and Tartarus... if I am right?"

"Correct, we need to go deeper into the tower before I can allow you guys to rest."

"Count me in." He smirks with excitement and Minako can´t help but laugh. "Now, sleep tight."

"You too."

A deep breath leaves her lips as Minako is finally alone in the lounge at last. Or not alone because Koro-chan is watching her carefully; he knows something is up. She kneels down to pat him gently. Dogs understand human emotions better than we do, she presumes, as she lets him lick the jam off her fingers.

**Everyone gathers around the table in the longue** the next morning and a certain Junpei is thrilled about the surprise Yukari mentioned earlier. He smirks broadly as he watches how Fuuka arrives with a large box in her hands, she looks slightly nervous.

"Ehm, we girls made these for you yesterday." She tells them quietly. "For all of you."

Junpei looks disappointed, it seems he thought it was for him only but he´s quick to return to his cheerful self.

"Sweeet~!" Junpei shouts as he sees the chocolate. " A valentine´s gift this early in the morning? I must be a lucky man."

"Stupei, it´s for everyone, not just you." Yukari corrects him once more as she takes the box from his hands and gives it to Ken.

"Uhm, thanks!" The youngest in SEES nods with a smile.

"So this is why it smelled so funny when we got home." Shinjiro mutters. He accepts the chocolate but he doesn´t seem to be all that happy about receiving it.

"Oh, it did?" Yukari glances my way. "Don´t you want one, Shinjiro-senpai?"

"I´ll eat it later."

Minako notices that Akihiko is nowhere to be found.

"Ehm where is Akihiko-senpai?" She ask Shinjiro.

"He went out for a run." Shinjiro answers. "His first lesson is PE so he wanted to warm up before entering the boxing ring, that idiot."

"That sounds just like him." Minako smiles, even if she is slightly let down he isn´t here.

When is she supposed to give him her gift? Minako looks on the floor while biting her lip before she walks into the kitchen. The sound of Junpei and Yukari´s arguing fades as Minako shuts the door behind her. Why did he have to take an early run today? Minako looks at the box she was supposed to give him. The color fades from her face and she gets even paler as she heads to school.

**Walking to school** has never been this hard before and all the fact that all the girls talks about their crushes and chocolate doesn´t make it any easier. Minako wants to turn around and run back to the station, enter the dorm and hide in her room for the rest of the day. The box in her bag feels like a big stone that gets heavier for each step she´s taking. It seems as if the young woman is growing more and more anxious because her plan to hand her crush his gift before school failed. Now, it´s more uncertain when it will happen. If she even will be able to give it to him.

"You look pale, are you alright?" Junpei asks her.

It seems that he has been talking to Minako for a while without her noticing it.

"Huh? Yeah, just tired."

"You sure? " He seems concerned. "Maybe you should rest and re-think about going to Tartarus tonight. I mean, we don´t want ya fainting on us."

"I´m fine." She smiles at him. Even if Junpei can be a jerk, he´s also a very good friend.

"Hmm? Okay, I trust ya. " He smirks. "By the way, do you know who Yukari made chocolate to?"

"Didn´t she share it with you?"

"Not really, she gave a piece to all the guys at the dorm… " He complains.

Something changes in his expression as he notices some girls walking their way and he is quick to shove Minako away from him. Minako releases a surprised "ooh." as she regains her balance.

"Don´t take this personal but you´re ruining my chance at getting chocolate."

"Oh, so I´m a bother now. Well see you in class." Minako snorts at him playfully.

Junpei is a nice guy even though he is a pervert. Minako likes him and treasures his friendship a lot so she knows he doesn´t mean anything with what he said earlier. It would have been good to talk to him so she don´t have to think about the red box weighting her down. Minako sighs deeply as she enters the school by herself. Akihiko tends to hang out on the rooftop after boxing practice so she should go there after the first period. Minako´s stomach turns as she takes her seat close to the window. She feels sick but she knows it´s only due to her own nervousness.

Pull yourself together, Minako! She tells herself as the lesson starts.

The lesson ended as quickly as it started and Minako finds herself walking through the corridor towards the stairs to the roof with a blood red box in her hands. Her heart is beating quickly in her chest as she notices how several other girls do the same. Minako is not the only one who thought of giving her gift at this time and it makes her freak out somewhat. Someone calls out to her just as she feared; it´s one of those girls who she met at the café the other day. The one that accused her of wanting two boyfriends.

"Minako-san." The voice is ice-cold.

"Oh, hello." Minako answers in a pretend indifferent tone.

"What are you doing?" The girl looks at the box. "You thinking of giving that to Akihiko-senpai, aren´t you?"

Minako´s body freezes and her heart stops beating for a moment. She already knows of Minako´s plan and the way she looks at her tells her she doesn´t like it one bit. Minako would have been able to keep her cool if she weren´t already nervous about her gift so she can´t help but tremble under her ominous gaze. The girl brought two of her friends, or supporters, and the two of them looks at her strangely.

"You´re stealing him from us!" One of them complains. "You already have Junpei, right? And that scary looking guy who always skip class!"

Minako´s red eyes widen at this because she´s thinking that their taking the joke too far. Now they´re even involving Shinjiro. Minako has never understood why fangirls are this mean. Aren´t they supposed to treasure the one they like? Not acting like he´s some possession no one else can be around. Minako´s surprise fades as she starts to glare back at the girls.

"I´m not stealing anyone, he´s not a thing someone can posses!" Minako tells them loudly.

Minako decides to ignore them as she passes them by in the corridor but a strong hand grabs her wrist and keeps her from going to the roof. Red eyes glare at the girl holding her but she gets no chance to react when one of the two other girls takes the box from her hand. A quiet gasp leaves Minako´s slightly opened lips as she watch how she looks at it with disgust show on her face. This is getting way out of hand!

"You know what we mean." The girl glares at Minako and shrugs her shoulder. "And now you´re thinking of giving senpai chocolate?"

The girl unties the ribbon and opens the box, probably while coming up with an insult, but her eyes widen as she sees that Minako has not made chocolate but pancakes instead.

"What-, it´s pancakes?" One girl utters in disbelief.

"Were you thinking of giving Akihiko-senpai pancakes instead of chocolate? How stupid is that!"

Minako´s red eyes widen as the girl throws the box at the floor. The box flies open and the pancakes she worked so hard on fall out to cover the corridor floor. The pancakes are all ruined and dirty but the girl doesn´t seem to think that is enough because she steps on them too. Minako can´t do anything but stare as they assault her gift as the sadness and anger build up inside of her. This is bullying!

"Why did you do that?" Minako murmurs as the girl stops.

"To show you your place!" She yells at me loudly.

"You have no right to do that!" Minako yells back at her.

Minako pushes the girl who has her wrist in an iron grip as she tries to get away from her. Minako needs to get her gift back even though it´s completely ruined by now. Minako can´t let them have it, she can´t let Akihiko see it in this state. What would he think of her if he saw the gift and her being all violent? He would think she´s just like them; a girl who is all obsessed with him. Minako doesn´t want that! The girl glares at her and she thought she would hit her for a moment but the person we are fighting over arrives. Minako wants to faint, she wants to vanish from the surface of earth.

"Oh there he is!"

"Akihiko-senpai!" The girls squeal loudly.

"Akihiko…" Minako murmurs quietly to herself as she looks away.

It doesn´t take long until the boxing loving teen is surrounded by fans who wants to give him their small colorful packages with chocolate. He looks bothered by the commotion, the eyebrow covered with a plastic moves as he frowns as a girl literally shoves her gift into his hands. Minako can feel how his eyes look her way but all she can think of is her own embarrassment. How she´s on the floor with jam all over her hands and knees. Why did she try so hard when she knew that it was impossible from the start? Why did she fall in love with a guy that already is loved by so many? Minako shouldn´t have bothered because…she has no time for romance, not now when the dark hour is still present… Tears well up but she fights them as she turns her back to Akihiko and she runs away. No, she is fleeing. Akihiko notices Minako as she runs by and he turns as he tries to face her.

"Minak-" Akihiko looks at her back as she runs down the corridor. He looks surprised.

"Akihiko-senpai! Please accept our chocolate!"

"Er—" Akihiko looks bothered as he´s forced to focus on his fangirls.

Akihiko decides to ignore their kya kya kya screams. His bothered expression vanishes as he notices the mess on the floor. A deep frown covers his pale face as he makes his way through the crowd of girls until he stands in front of the destroyed gift.

"What happened here?" Akihiko asks them in a cautious voice as he kneels down to touch the box, red jam sticks to his fingers. He put the fingers under his nose. Eyes widen.

"That klutz dropped her valentine´s gift!" One of the girls chuckles, she is clearly lying.

Akihiko looks at the girl who talked with slightly wide eyes. It takes some time before he realizes who she refers to. The frown on his face deepens as he focuses on the gift. It´s several pancakes, carefully cut into a nice shape with cream and some jam added as decorations. It´s all ruined but he can clearly see how much time it took to prepare it. It also makes him recall how Minako stayed up late yesterday in the kitchen. He doesn´t know why but his heart aches at the sight of it. A memory appears inside of his head.

"I dislike sweets, it felt like I was eating sugar cubes…but, I like pancakes."He told her, why he didn´t know.

"Pancakes?" Minako repeated while she looked at him with a gentle smile.

"You think that is strange?" He asked her in a slightly embarrassed manner. The answer was important to him.

Minako giggled. "No, pancakes are delicious… let´s eat that next time. But honestly, why did you take me to a café if you dislike sweets?"

"Ehm…" Akihiko hesitate, not daring to look her in the eye. "I heard that girls really like that place…"

The memory of his last date with Minako makes Akihiko realize what just happened. Minako was about to give him this box with pancakes. A small but noticeable blush appears on his cheeks for a moment before it fades when he also understands that these girls did this to her. His body turns tense and rigid as he gets to his feet again. The scent of her pancakes is overwhelming.

"I´m sorry but I can´t accept your gifts." He tells them in a cold voice. "I dislike sweets, It´ll ruin my training." He has always rejected them before but now he´s a bit more strict than earlier years.

"Oh..! Sorry we didn´t know—"

"It seems that you know nothing about me, huh?" He snorts as he turns to leave.

"Akihiko-senpai? Why can´t he be more friendly…" They sigh with hearts in their eyes.

**The TV is the only source of light** in Minako´s room but she still can´t focus on the news. It´s the same thing as always; new victims of the apathy syndrome are appearing out of nowhere. Her eyes darken as she leans against the wall behind her. It´s soon time to go to Tartarus but she is not looking forward to it at all. When Minako goes she has to fight side by side with Akihiko and she can already feel the tension growing. The girl also blames herself for acting so childishly. For running. For acting like a victim. Even if she´s strong in so many ways today she saw a new weakness in herself.

What if she is just exaggerating things? He might not even understand that it was her gift and what she meant with it, he´s really dense when love is concerned after all. Akihiko might only remember how she acted violently against that other girl. Minako sighs once again as she forces herself out of her bed to turn off the TV and head down to the others. They´re probably already waiting for her.

"Minako-chan, there she is!" Fuuka smiles at Minako as she enters the lounge. "Did you take a nap?"

"Yeah, it was a long day."

"Are you sure we should go to Tartarus?" Mitsuru asks Minako, probably wondering if she´s too tired to fight.

"Don´t worry, I drank some coffee too." Minako forces herself to smile."I´m soon in hyper-mode!"

Ken laughs at Minako since he has seen her in that mode before. It was when she tried to make him drink coffee with her but ended up being all hyped up due to it. Koromaru barks happily at Minako and Ken and Minako lean down to touch his white fur. She´s doing everything in her might to act normal but she unconsciously tries to avoid Akihiko at the same time. Fuuka talks as they all prepare to head to the school to fight the shadows and she informs them of the changes in the tower.

"I need to talk to you." Akihiko tells Minako suddenly.

Minako glances his way before she keep on walking.

"We´ll talk later. The dark hour begins any second now." She answers in a way that makes him unable to complain.

Akihiko´s eyes widen as he watches Minako walk ahead of him and he stays back without realizing it. Mitsuru, who watched him, approaches the said teen with concern.

"Akihiko." Mitsuru utter his name.

Akihiko looks at Mitsuru and she understands that something indeed has happened. The silver haired male shrugs his shoulders as he exhales loudly.

"It´s time to crush some shadows!" He exclaims, returning to his usual self.

**It´s Sunday and Minako is extremely restless.** She had plans with Rio, but she called yesterday to say that something came up and that she couldn´t meet today. It´s probably something about that Kenji again. Why is love so difficult? Minako pouts as she rolls over to her back. A sudden noise breaks the silence. Minako grabs her phone and answers with a hopeful voice, maybe Rio changed her mind?

"Moshi moshi, is it you Rio?"

"Hey… eh, it´s Akihiko though."

"Oh."

" Are you free today? Or were you expecting a call from someone else?"

"Eh… Yeah." Minako answers hesitantly. "I was supposed to hang out with Rio, but she cancelled, so I´m free, I guess."

"Get ready and meet me in the lounge in ten, I want to take you somewhere."

"Sure"

And Akihiko hangs up. Crimson eyes stares at her phone for a while before she puts it down. Minako guess it´s time to get over what happened on valentine´s day. Minako doesn´t understand how she could act that immature…

Minako smiles at him as they meet downstairs and he murmurs a quiet "Hey.." and smiles back. Minako doesn´t feel uncomfortable as they head out. He starts talking about his boxing practice in a very passionate manner and it makes her relax. It seems that he doesn´t want to ask her about her strange behavior nor mention the gift. Minako is able to smile sincerely at him again and she laughs as he tells her about how he punched another senpai who tried to act though. No one beats Akihiko in the ring and no shadow has come close to do that either.

He takes Minako to the café they visited together some weeks ago and she can´t help but look at her surrounds since she feels that the girls from school could show up any time now. Minako is able to calm down after some time though and she orders a cup of coffee and a slice of a strawberry cake. The coffee makes her feel a lot better. Minako is sitting with the warm cup in her hands as she regards how Akihiko eats in silence. Something about the slow way he tastes what he ordered makes her realize that he´s really enjoying it. His eyes sparkle and a smile is there on his quite thick and soft-looking lips. Minako finds herself staring at his mouth and is quick to avert her gaze.

"Delicious." He murmurs.

"Does it taste that good?" She asks him.

"Yeah but I´m sure that your pancakes would have been even tastier." He tells her bluntly, eyes searching for hers.

Minako flinches and look at the plate in front of Akihiko. He has indeed ordered pancakes but it´s not his plate that surprises her, it´s the fact that he mentions her gift. Or Minako think he does. She looks at him while she feels how her heart beat quickens.

"W-what did you say?" Minako stutters.

"Y-you prepared some for me the other day… right?" He smiles gently, fighting his own shyness.

Minako can´t find her words as Akihiko looks down in embarrassment. He glances her way but doesn´t seem to be able to look her in the eyes. It makes Minako´s heart skip a beat before it starts beating at the speed of a train again. She can feel how blood rushes to her head but the warmth fades just as quickly when the memory of her destroyed valentine´s gift appears in her head.

"So you saw." Minako scratches her head in embarrassment. "They got ruined sadly."

"Mm…" He nods slowly and his cheeks seem to turn a bit redder. "S-so I was wondering if you…would like to make pancakes for me some other day? Like, this Tuesday."

Minako´s eyes widen even more as she understanda his request and she can´t help herself; she stares at him for a long time. He meets her eyes for a second before he averts his gaze and that´s when it hits her. If she managed to give him her gift he would have been happy, that´s why he wants to give her a second chance to give it to him.

"You want me to cook for you?" She ask him with a smile growing on her lips.

"Y-yeah…" He returns the smile with one of his own.

Minako´s face turns completely red. "Ehm…" She murmur without finding any words to use. "I think…I could do that."


	2. Confusion

**"Do you like them?"**

Minako regards Akihiko with a pair of warm crimson eyes. Her senpai is currently eating the pancakes she made for him a moment ago. He looks up at Minako, still chewing, before he swallows with a deep sigh. She tilts her head to the side as she stands leaning against the desk in the front of the home economics room. They decided to meet here after school rather than at the dorm since it would be less crowded at this hour. Minako asked Fuuka if it was okay since she´s the president of the cooking club using the classroom and she allowed them to use it. The happiness Minako is feeling makes it impossible for her to stop smiling but she tries to stop when she realizes her cheeks will hurt later if she doesn't.

"It´s sweet." He answers Minako truthfully.

"Oh…" Her smile fades even though she thought it was impossible a moment ago.

Being alone with Akihiko in the home economics room and having him eat what she prepared for him made her so happy. Now, his answer worries her. Minako pouts slightly, making an apologetic expression.

"Eh..!" His eyes widen at Minako´s reaction and he´s quick to explain himself. "Sweet in a good way! I like them, really." A small blush cover his pale cheeks.

"Oh, I see…" The smile returns to her lips. "I was really worried since I know that you dislike too sweet things."

Minako turns around to put away and wash all the dirty dishes. The smile doesn´t leave her lips. Who would have thought that she would make pancakes for Akihiko some months ago? Not her. Some girls would kill to be in Minako´s shoes, and some have tried, so she feels like the luckiest girl in the world. Minako wonders how long she can stay this happy though, because a strange change is occurring in Tartarus at the moment. It seems like the shadows are getting stronger; that they´re waiting for something. Minako shrugs her shoulders. she can´t let that ruin her moment with senpai! It´s harder to stay relaxed when you know about the dark hour though.

"How is your training going?" Minako asks him to get her mind out of the hidden hour.

"Good since that Shiranaka quit." He answers bluntly.

Minako´s eyes widen a little at this because she notices the distaste in his voice. Akihiko is a person who openly shows if he dislikes a person but not the kind to tell the world about it. This Shiranaka must have done something to get to him because some rumors say that Akihiko punched him out of the blue. Sure, rumors are just rumors… but not all the time.

"He was a jerk." Is Akihiko´s explanation.

"What did he do to enrage you like that? I heard that you punched him…outside the ring." Minako ask him carefully, voice full of concern.

Akihiko glances at her with a serious expression before he averts his eyes. A strange feeling tells the leader of SEES that she should know more about this Shiranaka but Akihiko doesn´t give her any other information about what happened.

"He just got under my skin." He exhales. "And I used my fists to tell him that."

He leaves it at that and something about the kind of voice he uses makes Minako unable to ask him for more. It seems that he has been going through a hard time too lately. She nods to herself as she continues to clean. The sound of metal touching a plate makes her happy though because she know he´s eating her pancakes and likes them. Minako need to cherish this feeling so she won´t let the hardships around her break her down.

"We need to make sure to keep our calm." Minako tells him. "I believe things are going to get worse from now on."

"Yeah…" He agrees.

A silence surrounds them for a while but Minako is not disturbed by it. She dries the bowl and clean the sink carefully. Minako doesn´t want Fuuka to get mad at her over a dirty kitchen. She turns around to smile at Akhiko brightly and it seems like it surprised him because his face turns slightly red. Was he watching me? Minako wonders as he averts his gaze quickly. Even if the thought makes Minako smile to herself she is not confident enough to believe that.

"We´ll be able to win if we work together." She tells him. "No mountain is too high to climb!"

A somewhat cocky smile appears on Akihiko´s lips and he nods.

"That sounds like you, leader." The way he utters Minako´s nickname makes the butterflies in her stomach flutter their wings like crazy. However, at the same time the title of a leader makes her wonder if that is all she is.

Minako smiles nervously. "But let´s talk about some other stuff, I don´t want to ruin the mood. Ehm…"

He smiles at her and it makes her insides melt just like that and she finds no words. I need to find a subject to talk about! What? Ehm… Akihiko seems to understand what Minako is trying to do and helps out by taking the initiative.

"Yeah…" He agrees. "I´ll help you finish the dishes and then we can go somewhere before we return to the dorm?"

"Sure!"

They took a long walk, prayed at the shrine in a silence before they headed back to the dorm.

**Things are going well** at the moment and Minako is happier than before. The girls at the dorm noticed and asked her about it but she couldn´t say anything because she is not certain about Akihiko´s feelings. He has a lot of fans and Minako feels like she is not the prettiest girl out there… but a gut feeling tells her that he has given her a chance to get closer to him. Minako believes he acts differently around her because she´s the leader of SEES, because she isn´t acting like a fan around him and because she somehow managed to gain his trust. It doesn´t have to mean that he likes her more than a friend, maybe that he just…regards her as someone he can trust and be with without feeling troubled. Minako´s cheeks hurt from all her smiling.

Even though everything goes smoothly between them something happened one day, out of the blue. Something that changed everything.

"Senpai, do you have time today?" Minako asks Akihiko on a Monday after school when she was certain of that he´s free from clubs and other activities.

The young man looks at Minako for a moment before he averts his gaze. He looked bothered by her presence. Minako´s body tenses and eyes widen at this. Something isn´t right, she tells herself as she continues to look at him while waiting for an answer.

"Ehm… I…" He starts in a very tense manner before he declines. "I can´t today."

His voice and body language tells Minako he couldn´t come up with an excuse fast enough. Her eyes widen even more but she can´t bring herself to ask him about it. Minako unconsciously takes a step backwards to create a distance between them and it proves her theory; it´s only when she gives him more space that he dares to look at her. A terrible weight grows heavier on her shoulders and her happiness disappears without a trace.

"Oh, alright." Minako smiles weakly, still waiting for him to explain things to her even though she knows he won´t. "I guess I´ll see you at the dorm later then."

"Yeah." He answers shortly with a nod.

"Bye." Minako tells him in a slightly surprised tone when he passes her by quickly.

Minako´s heart grows cold as she watches his back while he slowly disappears down the stairs. It gets hard to breathe and she feels slightly sick in the stomach as she recalls his words and facial expressions. He lied to her. Why? If he didn´t …want to hang out he could have told me that. He has declined before but not like this.

Minako feels like throwing up and then she feels silly for letting something like this affect her. Once again, she compares it to how strong she is when it comes to fighting and shadows. When it comes to love, she seems to be very sensitive.

**Akihiko started to avoid Minako** after that and her happiness slipped through her fingers just like that. She tried to talk to him about it several times but he always used the excuse that he couldn´t meet. It hurt Minako because his eyes told her that he could but didn´t want to meet her. That he always panicked for a reason to reject her. Minako started to avoid him as well since she couldn´t handle her emotions well enough to act cool about it. Tartarus is something else though; she still need to act as the collected leader all of them know her as. Akihiko is a member of SEES too and it´s Minako´s responsibility to look over him.

The thoughts of him made it harder to sleep, to eat and to socialize with her friends. People have noticed the change in Minako but she continues to act ignorant of their knowledge. She has lost some weight, she has dark circles under her eyes, her skin looks a little dryer and she doesn´t have the energy anymore. All of this is slowly starting to affect Minako´s fighting style. She´s desperately trying to find where things went wrong, if she said something to piss him off or anything like that but it only makes her remember her happy moments with him. Minako is lying in her bed with the lights turned off, just thinking about him without being able to fall asleep.

Minako recalls the time they ran to the shrine together and he taught her how to do a back hip circle on the horizontal bar. Minako was nervous because she knew that it wasn´t a good idea since sje still wore her school uniform but Akihiko didn´t peek at her butt when she tried. That made him grow as a person in her eyes. He helped Minako out and showed her how it was done, the memory of it makes her heart ache a little. Someone like Junpei would have looked, Minako just know thats but Akihiko isn´t a perv like Junpei.

Minako´s lips move into a weak smile. Maybe this is her first heartbreak.

Or like when they met the noisy child at the burger restaurant. She thought they child acted in a very spoiled manner but Akihiko saw it from a different angle. It was a child with a lot of energy. His mature point of view surprised Minako in a good way. Guys who are mature and likes children is really good. The blush that covered his face when she told him he was charming makes her insides burn. He thinks he´s strange but being different is not a bad thing. Minako likes being different, It attracts her.

They have something in common like…both of them doesn´t have any parents. Maybe that made them more comfortable around each other? That fact created a deeper respect and understanding between them. They have been through the same things: loss of loved people but Minako still can´t grasp the pain of losing a sibling. Maybe it´s her inability to grasp that pain that pushed him away? No, things changed earlier she thinks.

He started to act strangely one day when he invited Minako out to eat ramen. He said her fighting style irritated him. Akihiko said he didn´t want her to fight at all and it either mean that he thinks that Minako is unreliable or…that he´s worried. A deep sigh leaves her lips as she yawns. Minako thinks that was the first time she noticed a change in him. He turned distant towards her and didn´t talk as openly anymore. His thoughts were all about his younger sister Miki and Minako couldn´t blame him for that.

Sadness well up inside of Minako and she hugs her pillow tightly. Minako wanted to be the one to comfort him but she can´t understand the pain of losing a sister. She was the most important person to him since his parents died when he was so young…Minako tried to console him but she thinks she said all the wrong words. He looked over Miki but Minako was only used to be looked over by her parents.

Minako turns over to the side so she can look out through the window. The moon is shining beautifully and the light creates a yellow glow on the floor. She doesn´t have time to let her relationship with Akihiko bother her or slow her down. Red eyes stare at the moon for a long time. It´s soon full moon again and the activity in the tower has grown as usual. Minako closes her eyes while mentally preparing herself for hell tomorrow.

**Shadows are everywhere** so Minako tells everyone to stick together and be extra cautious when proceeding in the labyrinth. They try to avoid the shadows as much as they can in their search for the stairs but it doesn´t work that well.

"A shadow!" Mitsuru shouts as she charges.

She´s a woman who thinks offence is the best defense and Minako agrees from time to time. Minako covers her with a frown on her face and fights off a weaker shadow by herself. They´re on a new floor and none of them recognizes the new kind of shadow that lingers here. Minako stares at one shadow that looks like a monster taken from one of her nightmares but her sight it slowly getting blurry. Minako squints but it doesn´t get any better. The creature attacks her and gives her no chance to wait for her eyes to function so she attack without really seeing anything. A Bufu attack hits Minako from behind and a painful grunt leaves her lips as she loses her balance and hits the floor. Minako is just about to grab her weapon and shield herself when someone calls her name.

"Minako! Wake up dammit!"

Junpei jumps forward to kill a shadow that was close to hit Minako. Her eyesight gets better and she notices that it wasn´t one enemy but four. Minako stares at Junpei wide-eyed while holding her breath. Junpei glares at Minako from under his cap as he offers her his hand. Minako accepts it and he pulls her up to her feet. She feels so weak. Minako feels even sicker when she notices how Akihiko stares at her from the corner of her eye.

"That shadows weakness is fire, use Berith to knock them all down! Do I need to spell it out for ya?" He shouts at Minako.

Minako flinches before she acts. "Sorry! Berith!" Minako pulls the trigger without hesitation and one of her many loyal personas appears and attacks. The fire hits three of them so Minako uses the same attack again so they can use an all out attack to win the battle. The shadows disappear after the collision and leave her breathing hard. Everyone tries to regain their strength in silence but Minako can feel how they´re looking at her strangely. It´s Junpei who approaches Minako about it first.

"Hey, are you really fit to be our leader?" He asks Minako in a harsh voice, probably harsher than he originally wanted, but Minako has been acting distant for days and he is at his limit.

Minako´s eyes widen as guilt washes over her. She averts her gaze and looks at her shoes. Eyes widen and she opens and close her eyes several times: Minako is seeing two pairs of feet below her. Dizziness makes Minako feel like losing her balance and fall down again but she takes a deep breath and leans backwards to prevent that. It makes her stare into Junpei´s eyes though. He looks pissed.

"Junpei…" Yukari complains.

Minako glances at her when she gently touches her shoulder in her own way to give Minako some sort of comfort. Minako´s face gets paler when every member of SEES gathers because she knows they´re all judging her. Even if there´s concern in their eyes it makes her stomach feel heavy with guilt. Minako has always been a perfect leader who made no mistakes but she´s different now and she can´t focus when she feels Akihiko´s eyes on her. Minako can´t focus on an empty stomach or when she has not slept enough either.

"No." Junpei looks at Minako seriously. " I was ok with a girl being the leader since you´re my friend and stronger than me but… pull yourself together, or I´ll seriously take your place."

Ouch. That hurt. Minako knows Junpei always wanted to be the leader and that he was jealous but she feels like shit now and his words doesn´t make it less hurtful. She knows she should pull herself together but she had no idea that love could do this to a person. Make her this weak and miserable. Minako is letting Junpei down now, just as she let Akihiko down in a way she doesn´t understand.

"I´m sorry." Minako looks at them while fighting her tears and trembling lips. "Everyone, I´m sorry. A lot has happened and I can´t focus. I think I´m going to be sick."

"Don´t worry about it." Mitsuru smiles gently."You always carry everyone´s problems on your shoulders so take it easy and rest for some days, I can take over."

"Special treatment, huh?" Junpei comments.

"Shut up Junpei." Yukari growls at him.

"Whatever!" Junpei walks off.

Junpei, Shinjiro, Ken, Koromaru and Akihiko walks off and Minako´s heart grows colder. Can´t Akihiko just approach her, tell her what´s wrong and then comfort her? Can´t he just let her into his heart again? The said teen glances at Minako from a distance but she can´t read his expression at all. Minako´s expression darkens. she just wants to scream, curse and punch something. Minako never thought she was the kind of person to neglect herself and her duties like this either.

"It might not look like it but he cares about you." Yukari tells Minako gently, referring to Junpei. "He´s worried."

"I know and I´m…sorry. Mitsuru, can you take the lead for a day or two?" Minako swallows her frustration.

"Yes, of course." She seems a little surprised.

"Thank you." Minako bows slightly before she asks Fuuka for an escape route.

The training continues without Minako but no one feels right about it. Junpei is frustrated, Yukari and Fuuka are worried, Ken is affected by everyone else´s feelings and Koromaru whines. Mitsuru tries to keep them all together and her years of experience make them all regain their energy again. They take down shadow after shadow and climb up several stairs but decide to stop when fatigue is closing up on them. Fuuka teleports them back and everyone returns to the dorm.

Mitsuru grabs Akihiko´s shoulder when he is about to pass him by. He stops and looks at her with a dazzled expression.

"Akihiko…" She murmurs his name.

"What?" He seems kind of wary of her.

"What did you say to Arisato-san?" She asks him bluntly.

His eyes widen for a moment but he´s quick to regain his indifference. Mitsuru knows him well enough to see through it though but that doesn´t stop him from trying to deceive her. He feels like she´s intruding on his private life and it makes him put up a defense even though they´re close friends.

"I…I didn´t say anything." He tells the truth but he feels like he´s lying.

Mitsuru gives him a long stare before she gives up with a sigh.

"Just make it work, ok? Someone will get hurt if this continues. Your defense was down today."

Mitsuru passes him by quickly and leaves Akihiko to his own thoughts. The silver haired young man walks towards the dorm by himself. I thought my heart was about to burst. He closes his eyes and remembers how hot flames hit Minako from behind, knocking the air out of her lungs violently. The feelings that entered him when the hurtful fry left her lips makes him even more confused. I want to protect her so why am I doing the exact opposite? Akihiko grit his teeth. Why is she making me feel so weak and defenseless all the time? Why is she…?

I´m losing control. Akihiko sighs deeply. A frown makes his expression darkens as he recalls the sad expression she showed him every time he declined her invitations to hang out. He declined until she stopped asking, why he don´t know but he felt like shit when she started to stop greeting him in the hallway even though he asked for it. Maybe I´m scared? He asks himself. Akihiko wanted to distance himself from her because the emotions she triggers within him made him weak and shy. Is it because she reminds me of Miki? Is that why I´m so worried about her? She makes me do strange things…like, hitting…Shiranaka. Akihiko frowns.

He can´t find an answer yet.

**Minako decided to start training** again some days after the incident in Tartarus but things doesn´t go as smoothly as she wants them to. Her senses are not the same anymore and the feelings of guilt makes her dizziness and feelings for Akihiko affect her more than before. There are things that are more important to her than love and one of those things are her friends and beating the Shadows once and for all. That´s why Minako tries to ignore her feelings and fight once more. Minako acts as the leader she is and guides them towards the stairs. But something goes wrong, terribly wrong when they reach the higher floor.

Red eyes widen as something hits Minako with full force. She doesn´t get a chance to protect herself and everything turns black.

**_"Oh no,_** _you´re separated!"_ Fuuka´s voice echoes.

Being separated when moving up a floor is something the party is used to so no one gets as frightened as Fuuka. Akihiko looks at his surroundings and notices Yukari further ahead of him and gives her a quick nod of his head. Yukari seems to be relieved. The thought of being alone scared her more than she wants to admit. Akihiko gets up on his feet and prepares himself for action.

"Can you locate the others?" Akihiko asks Fuuka with a grunt.

_"There´s some kind of disturbance…"_ Fuuka sounds hesitant. _"I can see Ken and Shinjiro further ahead."_

"What about the others?" Yukari asks nervously.

_"Something isn´t right.. it´s like I can´t get through to them."_ Fuuka´s voice trembles.

"Keep trying." Akihiko tells her sternly."We´ll proceed and try to find Ken and Shinji but be prepared to make an escape route for us if things get ugly."

_"Yes!"_

Akihiko takes the lead as he and Yukari continues on. There aren´t a lot of shadows on the floor so they´re able to find some usable items on their way . Akihiko knows that a floor without shadows either mean that the floor is empty or that a much stronger shadow lingers in the darkness, a monster that scared the smaller shadows away. Yukari can´t help but worry about her friends when the time passes by. She knows something is wrong and is waiting for Fuuka to inform her of an accident of some sort. Akihiko feels it too, that something is different but he keeps himself calm until his thoughts are proved correct.

_"Oh no!"_ Yukari grows cold when Fuuka suddenly gasps.

"What happened Fuuka?" Yukari asks her slowly, she is not sure if she wants to know the answer.

Akihiko stops exploring as he listens to Fuuka. Her trembling voice makes his uneasiness grow tenfold but his pokerface is intact as he waits for an explanation.

_"It´s Minako-chan!"_

Akihiko´s eyes widen as something takes a hold of his heart and squeezes it tightly. He feels like he´s about to suffocate. Fear hits him like a violent hurricane as he starts to imagine what could have happened to the younger girl. A deep and dangerous looking frown grows as he starts running. Yukari gasps as she dashes after her senpai.

"Spit it out, Yamagishi." Akihiko fails to sound indifferent this time. "Where is she? What happened?" He yells as he continues to move deeper into the labyrinth.

The sudden change in Akihiko scares Yukari but she continues on like always. The archer is more afraid of her friend being hurt than Akihiko´s rage.

_"She´s hurt! Hurry, turn right, then left then right again! "_ Fuuka shouts desperately with fear. _"…There´s blood everywhere…"_

Yukari cries out in fear as she and Akihiko dashes through the narrow corridors towards the area Fuuka knows Minako is. All he can hear is his rapid heartbeat and the quick rhythm that´s created when his feet hits the ground as he runs. He fears the sound will break his eardrums before he reach Minako.

_"She´s on your right!"_ Fuuka cries. _"Watch up, there´s a –!"_

The sound of rubber gliding over a hard surface echoes when Akihiko turns quickly but his movements stop as he finds what he searched for. Eyes widen in an inhuman way. Their leader is lying on the floor in a pool of her own blood motionlessly with a large shadow towering over her. The monster leans over her like it tries to devour her in one bite.

"MINAKO!" Yukari screams with all her might.

Akihiko can´t move as he takes in the scene before him. He´s frightened in a way he never experienced before and Yukari´s scream make everything turn into a way too realistic horror movie. A shaky breath leaves the boxer´s trembling lips as he regains the ability to breathe. Move. Nothing happens. Another breath leaves him as he looks down to realize that his knees are shaking terribly. Eyes widen even more. I need to stop shaking…What´s wrong with me? Akihiko looks at Minako´s pale face. She looks so sick but peaceful at the same time. What if she´s already…?A sharp growl can be heard and the shadow turns to look at the two intruders. Akihiko doesn´t notice because all he can see is his kouhai.

_She´s not supposed to get hurt. Minako is strong and careful, she wouldn´t be knocked down like this. This is not supposed to happen!_ Akihiko´s thoughts both scares and confuses him. Legs, move! A grunt leaves his lips as he takes one wobbly step forward towards the girl he needs to protect.

"Move for God´s sake!" He screams with everything he got.

And, one shaky step after another, he starts running.

And he leaps off for her.


	3. Rejection or Confession

**Akihiko feels how his shaky legs** move beneath him as he´s speeding towards Minako but he feels like it´s not fast enough. Move !He almost fall to the ground due to his still shaking legs. His breath is stuck in his throat as he kneels down besides her and feels how his knees get wet. Wet by her blood. He takes a hold of her shoulders carefully and guides her body close to his. He can´t risk hurting her more by moving her body carelessly. Worried eyes look at her pale face.

"Hey…Minako?" He stutters with dread clear in his voice. Open your eyes dammit!

She doesn´t answer and Akihiko grows more panicked. He clutches her body to himself as he glances at the shadow. Yukari is fighting it but she´s struggling and he knows that she won´t make it by herself. He needs to get Minako to safety and make sure Yukari doesn´t have to fight alone. She fires arrow after arrow at the shadow but it doesn´t react nor take any heavy damage, and it seems it doesn´t have any problem handing wind attacks.

"Yukari, heal her. I´ll fight!" Akihiko shouts over his shoulder.

"Yes!" She answers with a tired groan.

The girl fires one last arrow towards the shadow´s head before she sprints towards Minako. Akihiko is quick to lower the girl´s body to the ground carefully before he starts to fight. He wants to punch that shadow to pieces for what it did to Minako. His trembling body is getting more balanced after each step he takes and he regains his usual composure as he delivers the first punch. He feels like he´s growing stronger by fighting to protect her and Yukari but no matter how strong he is he won´t be able to beat it by himself. Fighting to protect someone makes him stronger, makes him keep fighting even though the odds are against him and makes him stay somewhat composed. A loud cry makes him tense though: it´s Yukari.

"Senpai!" Yukari screams wide-eyed. "Her breathing…. It´s getting weaker!"

Akihiko loses the ability to breathe for a moment and he just stare at the girl in Yukari´s arms helplessly. What should I do? I can´t risk losing her… not like I lost Miki! He has never felt this frightened before and the need to protect what´s precious to him makes it worse. Akihiko turns towards the shadow.

"Fuuka, call for help and prepare an escape route!" He yells with all his might.

"Yes! Ken and Shinjiro-senpai are close by!" Fuuka reports.

Akihiko feels how his energy slowly leaves him as he fights the shadow by himself but he´s repeatedly telling himself not to give in to his fatigue. He´s lucky though because Shinjiro and Ken comes running after a while and they´re quick to get his and Yukari´s back. Ken sits down near Minako and helps with the healing while Shinjiro pulls out his axe and starts to fight. Shinjiro regards Akihiko and finds himself sighing with relief over that the blood on him isn´t his.

"Took you long enough…!" Akihiko complains, he looks frightened.

That means that Minako has lost a great deal of blood. Shinjiro frowns as he charges because he knows that every second they lose her will make it harder to save their leader.

"Hn, you should be thankful." Shinjiro grunts. "It´s time to do some damage."

"Yeah!"

Ken´s brown eyes widen as he looks at Minako while using his persona to heal her. The blood is scaring him because it reminds him of his dying mother, but the fact that his friend and person he looks up to is resting there makes it worse. He fight back his tears.

"This is bad…"Ken comments as he regards Minako´s wounds. "We need to get her to a hospital."

Yukari gets paler at this and it takes her some time to tell Ken what she just realized.

"We can´t contact a doctor during the… dark hour…" Yukari murmurs with wide, terrified eyes.

**Minako´s eyes hurt as she opens them** so she lets them fall close again. The young woman is surrounded by the brightest of white and the light makes her head throb painfully. Minako´s whole body is aching, she notices, as she lies there in a place she can´t name. The SEES leader feels so sick and tired but above all: drained of everything. Minako tries to open her eyes once more and she finds herself lying in a hospital bed. What happened?

"She´s awake!" A voice echoes in her ears.

Yukari?

A small and soft hand takes a hold of Minako´s gently. Minako turns to look at the girl that´s sitting by her side and her smile takes her by surprise. It seems like she has been sitting there for some time now. It´s full of happiness and worry at the same time. Minako stares at Yukari in silence because she understands that she´s the reason her friend is looking like that but she can´t grasp why. What happened? Yukari looks over her shoulder quickly, she´s smiling.

"Senpai, she´s awake!"

Minako´s heart grows cold before it starts beating faster as Akihiko rushes into the room. His eyes are wide and his silver hair is in a mess but his presence makes her nervous still. Minako averts her gaze as he approaches her and she tries to get into a sitting position. A loud grunt of pain leaves Minako´s dry lips as pain washes over her. The sound makes both Yukari and Akihiko to reach out for their leader but Yukari withdraws her hands as she sees Akihiko´s expression. He takes a hold of Minako´s shoulders and helps her sit up in a less painful way. The red haired woman smiles weakly up at him as a silent thank you but she can´t bring herself to look him in the eye for a long time.

"Is this…" Minako start in a hoarse voice. "…the hospital? What happened?"

"You don´t remember?" Yukari asks her in a worried manner.

"No…" Minako shakes her head. "Weren´t we supposed to be fighting shadows? Did I… ?"

"We were separated and we found you unconscious and bleeding. You were attacked by a strong shadow." Akihiko tells her in a slightly cold voice.

Minako doesn´t know if he´s angry or of the coldness is a result of his concern for her but it makes her feel worse. Minako´s confused feelings make her unable to decide what to believe so she chooses not to think about it.

"I remember being hit from behind and then…everything turned black." The girl murmurs quietly, trying to remember makes her head throb even more.

"What were you thinking?" Akihiko asks Minako in an angry voice. "You´ve been too careless lately, you could have died!"

Minako blinks in surprise and then glares at him angrily. She doesn´t need this now. Arguing with him makes it worse. Can´t he just stay silent and don´t care like he did before?

"I couldn´t prevent the separation and something hit me when I opened my eyes. I didn´t have a chance to protect myself. I couldn´t do anything. I´m sorry." Minako´s anger turns to sadness. Her voice cracks slightly, her voice hoarse. She had recovered, she had regained her calm and lead her team like she used to. Yet, luck wasn´t on her side.

Akihiko looks surprised but his expression turns into guilt. He didn´t mean to yell like that.

"Don´t be too harsh with her senpai!" Yukari looks worried. "We´re happy you finally woke up. You scared all of us!"

"How long have I been unconscious?"

"About three days." Akihiko answers bitterly.

"Oh…" Minako swallows her saliva with a gulping sound. "I´m sorry I made you worry and don´t blame yourself. I got hurt because of my own stupidity. Can you bring the doctor? "

**A lot of people stare at Minako** as she walks down the corridors in school. She can´t blame them. The girl is covered in plastics and bandages from top to toe and she has this large bruise on her face. Rumors about how Minako was attacked during a walk, or hit by an abusive boyfriend, are quickly spreading among the students. Popularity has never been something that bothered the young student but it´s getting troublesome when rumors of her being beaten by an unknown boyfriend travels from mouth to mouth. For some reason people has always assumed she had a boyfriend, and even if proved wrong, it keeps living on.

"Minako… how are you?" Junpei asks her as she enters the classroom.

"I´m fine." Minako smiles at him with what she hopes is a reassuring expression.

Minako sits down and put away her bag. Everyone in the classroom seems to think that she´s very interesting today because they stare with no shame at all. Junpei seems to notice this to and tries to joke about it but she can´t hear him. Minako´s focus is on a girl that´s approaching her with a friendly smile on her lips. Minako has been working with her on a project for some time and her absence from school must have affected it.

"Minako-chan! What happened to your face!" She asks her. "Don´t tell me your boyfriend did it?"

The girl glances at Junpei carefully, but it´s not in a bad way. She´s a nice girl and worried about Minako and the rumors about her and Junpei has been going around for a while now.

"No! actually… I forgot to tie my shoes the other day and fell down some stairs. It has nothing to do with a boyfriend, and… I´m single by the way." Minako scratches the back of her neck and laughs weakly.

"Oh man, I never thought you were than clumpsy!" She sighs.

"No boyfriend?" A guy chuckles. "If you chose me I can protect you!"

"Thanks but not thanks." Minako can´t help but roll her eyes at the comment.

And class starts with no more drama.

**Minako feels really tired** when lunch finally arrives. She´ll be able to escape the classrooms where more rumors about her are created to flee into the hallway. She isn´t so hungry but she decides to eat the onigiri Fuuka made for her. Fuuka has, with the help of Shinjiro, succeeded in making progress with her cooking and Minako is as always one of her "test persons" to try it out. She told Minako she made it especially for her and that it would make her heal up faster. A smile grows on Minako´s face. She´s happy that her friends care for her, even after all the trouble she has caused.

"H-hey Minako!"

Minako tenses as someone calls her name loudly and she turns around to face the source of sound. Akihiko comes running after her and that sight makes all the color in her face fade away even though it usually would make her shine like a sun with a blush. Minako´s heart beats faster as she tries to mask her feelings and greets him politely with a little nod.

"Senpai." Minako greets him, more formal than she used to. She can´t act relaxed around him any more.

Akihiko stops next to Minako and seems surprised over the sudden change of greeting but doesn´t comment on it. The boxer´s facial expression turns into a slightly pained one for a moment and it´s Minako´s turn to be surprised. She feels terrible when her own self-defense mechanism hurts him but she can´t do anything about it.

"I need to talk with you. Do you have time?" He finally asks her.

"Now?" Minako averts her gaze nervously, she wanted to have some peace to eat her lunch…

Something in the air makes Minako feel that the big confrontation is near. Akihiko wants to talk with her about how he acted, she assumes, and it scares her in a way. She´s afraid of what he´ll tell her. Maybe that he found out about her feelings for him and felt disturbed…Minako starts picturing the worse outcome. Akihiko regards her and the fact that he indeed wanted to talk now is clear but he changes his mind after seeing her condition. Minako´s bruises are getting worse as they´re healing. Glowing in yellow, and purple colors.

"No,… after school. Meet me at the rooftop?" Akihiko asks as he averts his gaze from Minako´s broken body.

"Okay." She gives in and nod. Looking tired.

"Thank you." He breathes almost, happy to get this chance.

Minako´s eyes widen slightly as he sighs with relief.

Akihiko smiles in a gentle yet sad way as he waves at Minako before turning around and walking back towards where he came from. He´s not a bad person and he doesn´t want to hurt her so the pain she has been feeling is probably nothing he wanted her to go through. Minako´s knuckles get drained of their color when she clutches her bentou to her chest. Her appetite is gone.

The school day passes by quickly like that and soon it´s time to go to the roof to sort things out with Akihiko. Minako´s steps grow heavier as she climbs the stairs toward the appointed meeting point. Her whole body grows hotter as she notices Akihiko standing near the great fences with the orange glow of the sunset surrounding him from all directions. It makes his eyes glow with warmth and his clothes moves with the slightly cold breeze. I love him. So much. The words flow inside of Minako´s mind as she watches him in silence. There´s determination in his eyes. Is this the end? Will he reject …me? The trance that she´s in is broken when the door behind her shuts with a loud bang. The noise alarms both Akihiko and Minako and they ends up looking at each other. His alarmed expression turns into a weak smile. A nervous chuckle leaves Minako´s lips before she returns the man´s smile. Whatever will happen, will happen.

"No one is here, that´s a pity.. .the wind is so nice..." He comments as he returns to look at the view.

Minako approaches him slowly and lets herself look at the scenery. It´s a beautiful sunset, a soft light falling over the town. It makes her relax a bit. She has come to love this place even in this short time living here.

"Do you come here often?" She softly asks, even if she knows the answer.

"Yeah, … I used to meet Shinji here when he skipped classes." He explains. "You can see the dorm from here…"

A long silence spread between them and Minako decides to get to the point and get this over with. She takes a deep breath. "What did you want to talk to me about?" It leaves Minako just like she spat out the words.

He glances at Minako over his shoulder before he looks into the distance again.

"You remember what I told you about my sister right?" Akihiko starts before turning to face Minako. "I´m tired of losing things that are important to me…I thought it would be better to not let things get too important ... but after things happened I don´t think like that anymore. "

Minako´s mind starts racing at this, trying to grasp what he´s trying to tell her. She understands the words but got no clue about why he´s telling her this and his intense stare makes her feel that it all should be clear to her. The beat of Minako´s heart quickens and it gets harder to breathe as he keeps on staring. Her eyes are glued to his moving lips as she tries to understand it all. Akihiko keeps talking about what he has realized in a calm manner. His voice vibrates nicely in her ears.

"If I want to avoid that feeling I have to work thard to protect what´s precious to me… and that means everything precious…including you.." His voice comes off as confident, and low.

What´s this? Minako´s heart skips a beat and her eyes widen. Staring into his. He holds her gaze. He means I´m…precious to him? Minako doesn´t dare to believe it, but if she were, it would explain why he acted the way he did. Akihiko didn´t want them to be close because he didn´t want to experience the pain of losing her. Losing me? Like…the accident? Minako suddenly remember the condition she´s in. Did her near death experience make him realize that he wanted to protect her instead of reject her? Minako is so lost in her own thought so she doesn´t realize that Akihiko glares at her at first but she thinks her theory is all wrong when she does. He´s angry with her and it makes her all confused again. This is not good for her heart.

"Are you mad?" Minako asks him while holding her breath.

Akihiko´s glare vanishes and he reels back with a blush growing on his cheeks. His reaction makes Minako´s already wide eyes widen even more.

"Huh?" N-no of course not!" He stutters.

Then, what´s making him act this way? Why did he avoid her for all this time? Akihiko bites his under lip as he looks away before he coughs in an embarrassed manner. He seems to be nervous. Nervous for what? Me? The sound of her beating heart gets louder and it gets harder to hear what´s happening around her. Minako´s eyes get narrow as she squints while concentrating on what Akihiko tries to tell her.

"So…it´s really strange… I really liked hanging out together, I used to anyways.. " He tells Minako this slowly, sounding almost sad.

"You… Used to? But…what about now?" Minako breathes out. She´s ice-cold and burning hot at the same time.

"But now…I feel all tense and on edge… it´s the weirdest thing.." He continues like he, himself, doesn´t understand it.

He glances at Minako nervously.

"When I found you in Tartarus that day I thought I lost you." He tells her and it proves a part of Minako´s theory. "I was worried, angry and…you always make me feel like that. I can´t relax around you! And now you´re covered in bruises…" He blurts out looking at Minako in a pained way."I could have… prevented that!"

What he´s telling her makes her think of two things; he either loves her or hates her. Minako decides to be egoistic for once and believe that he likes her. Minako clings onto hope and waits for the rejection.

"It´s love." Minako takes the chance and blurts it out.

Red eyes stare at Akihiko, waiting for his reaction. His face gets as red as a tomato.

"L-l-love? This is love? …Oh!..." He stutters like crazy.

Minako can´t do anything but stare at him, waiting for a response of any kind. She won´t leave this roof until he either confesses or reject her. Akihiko looks away with a frown on his face as he seems to think it over. Count everything that has happened and how it has made him feel. Then, he faces her with a confident body language and firm gaze. Lips quirked into a small smile.

"It already slipped out, but I like to hear what you feel… will you be my girl?"

A gasp emerges from Minako´s lips. Her body grows extremely hot and all the tenseness, coldness, fear and confusion fade away just like that. It´s her turn to blush, but the additional red color seems to make Akihiko more worried about her condition than her feelings. Minako is already purple! I need to answer him. Minako tells herself as she swallows her saliva. But how? I´m so happy!

"YES!" She shouts without a warning.

Minako´s own yell surprises her so she puts her hand in front of her mouth in case she would blurt something else out as well. It seems like Minako can´t control herself now when she knows all her fears were for nothing; that avoiding her was Akihiko´s way of finding out about his own emotions. Minako feels silly to have doubted him, that she almost started to dislike him. All those dark feelings fade as a bright smile grows on the said man´s lips. His eyes are shining when he looks at Minako and that innocent blush on his cheeks makes her knees go weak.

"Really?"

He hugs Minako tightly all of a sudden and she feels like her heart is about to explode. His strong arms around her make her feel loved and above all: protected. It feels good to be so close to him and Minako almost die in shame as she realizes that she wants to be even closer to him. Minako´s cheeks burn as she leans onto him shyly and returns the hug. I´m in heaven… She closes her eyes so she´ll only be able to feel him. The scent of fresh air covers him like cologne but Minako believe it´s no perfume but his own scent. Akihiko´s scent. She could have stayed in his arms forever but the young man realizes his quite impulsive act and let go of Minako to apologize. She feels cold all of a sudden.

"Oh sorry…Um…I didn´t hurt you, did I? Your bruises… "He looks at my shyly.

"Oh…" She looks down at her purple arms. "I didn´t even notice the pain."

Akihiko smiles. "Here´s hoping for the best, right?"

Just as if all of Minako´s tenseness let go of her body she starts to chuckle at his so adorable behavior. She can´t help it; she´s so happy and she just wants to run around and scream that she´s Akihiko´s girlfriend. That would be bad because if someone happened to hear Minako would be dead…his fans show no mercy! The blush on Akihiko´s cheeks intensifies at Minako´s laughter but she´s quick to explain why she´s laughing at him.

"Hey, don´t be that awkward…you´ll make me feel bad!" Minako smiles up at him as she gives him a playful nudge. "Let´s… go back to the dorm, kay?"

Minako didn´t know that she would go from being almost hateful towards him to his girlfriend in the short time of a day. Love can turn you into a monster if you let it.

**_Epiloge_ **

**Akihiko and Minako has been dating** for about two months now and everything has gone well between them. The tenseness is gone, except for Akihiko´s shyness, and they have grown to like even more about the other.

Minako is supposed to meet Akihiko after school to hang out and she´s really looking forward to it. Her red eyes glow with happiness as she re-read the text message he sent her this morning, telling her to meet him at the usual place because he wanted to see her. Yukari grins at Minako from her desk because she happened to read the text before Minako got the chance herself. Everyone at the dorm noticed their relationship quite quickly so they didn´t have to inform them of it; it all came naturally. Minako´s smile fades when she feels Aigis eyes on her. Minako can´t help feel bad about her because she likes her to an extent Minako doesn´t understand and now she have a boyfriend. It´s not like she loves Minako like that, but still… The bell rings and she´s one of the first in her class to leave her seat.

"Oh Minako-tan, meeting senpai after this?" Junpei comments Minako´s behavior.

"Yeah." She smiles at Junpei. "But we´re still going to Tartarus tonight."

His smile fades a bit and Minako laughs before grabbing her bag and leaving her classmates behind. It´s a beautiful day; perfect for a date outdoors but what Minako didn´t know was that Akihiko wanted something else. She finds him waiting outside his classroom and a smile immediately grows on her lips. The girls surrounding him glares at Minako but she doesn´t give a shit because he´s hers now. Oh, it felt so good to think that way!

"Senpai!" Minako shouts as she waves her hand cheerfully.

"Hi." He greets Minako with one of his dazzling smiles. "How are you?"

"Better. I think Fuuka´s food made me recover faster!"

Minako´s condition has improved a lot after two months of taking it easy and she has just started to lead the group on our Tartarus missions again. She knows Akihiko is worried about her because he tends to accidentally knocking out the shadow she wants to deal with. It´s cute and she likes feeling that loved but it´s also time that he realized Minako is better and can take care of herself again. Minako thinks he still feels guilty over what happened to her two months ago even if it was her own actions that lead to it.

"Oh really." He can´t stop smiling but he turns a little hesitant as he continues to speak. "Ehm if you´d like…do you want to come to my room today?"

That takes Minako by surprise. She looks at him in silence for a while and her surprise makes her unable to hear how his fan girls scream with dread. Being invited to a guy´s room is a great deal.

"Ehm… sure. Why not?" Minako smiles gently. "Do you want me to make you pancakes again? We could use it as snacks and see a movie or something…"

"Eh? Oh… yeah." He seems surprised over her sudden offer. "That would be nice. "

The two of them stopped at the supermarket to buy the ingredients for the pancakes before they walked home to the dorm. They chatted about everything and nothing, laughing and being serious. They can talk about almost everything and it makes the relationship easier. It also made Minako realize how hard it would have been if she fell in love with someone who doesn´t have a persona ability. She´s lucky that Akihiko felt the same about her.

They find Fuuka and Shinjiro in the kitchen when they reach the dorm so Minako asks them if she could use it after them. They agreed so she let them be. Minako got a feeling that the shy and gentle Fuuka would be a nice fit for Shinjiro, why she doesn´t know. They make up for the other´s weaknesses…Minako shakes her head and focuses on Akihiko once again. He´s leading her to the second floor and his room. Minako starts to feel slightly nervous about being with him in there but she pulls herself together and smiles.

Akihiko´s scent hits Minako in the face when she enters the room. It is as small as hers but it feels much narrower because of the many things he has gathered in here. His room is full of stuff, like a boxing bag and other work-out gear, a computer, a bed, magazines etc. Minako gets the feeling that Akihiko seldom spends time in his room and that he uses it more like a storage. Not in a bad way of course, he is an outdoor guy, a busy man. Minako returns to reality when Akihiko starts speaking with her.

"Sorry there´s nowhere to sit except the floor…maybe I´ve a cushion somewhere…" He starts to look around in a stressed manner. "Do you want something to drink?" He adds.

"I´m alright but senpai, calm down okay?" Minako chuckles gently.

"Don´t laugh at me…" He smiles back at her before he turns serious."My room doesn´t weird you out does it?"

The question don´t take Minako by surprise because Akihiko has talked about it before. He says that other might find him strange because he´s the only child and because he lost his parents. Minako has never understood why others think that way because being different is a good thing in her eyes.

"No, actually I think it fits you. I imaged you would have a room like this..." Minako looks around. "I like it."

Akihiko looks pleased with his girlfriend´s answer but he doesn´t stay happy for long. He sits down on the floor and she joins him. He seems nervous but also a little sad. Akihiko is a confident person when fighting and Tartarus are concerned but there are things that bother him. Like what people think of him at times, that he´s different because of his dark past and even love bothered him at first. Akihiko isn´t the confident boxer everyone sees because he also have troubles and problems that weight him down at times. Minako has decided that she should be there for him when it happens. When his confience is low, but also when he feels strong.

"Thanks! But… that means it´s me…not the room…that´s strange…this is all new for me…" He mutters almost to himself.

"Even though some might think of you as strange I don´t see that as a bad thing. You are you, and that´s what I like." Minako tells him honestly but avoid to look at him because she just said some embarrassing stuff. "You never had a girl in your room before?" She asks him in a teasing manner, so she can hide her own nervousness.

"o-o-of course not!" He looks at Minako wide-eyed.

"Eh? Not even Mitsuru?" Minako asks him with surprise.

"N-no! I mean… I never thought I would need a girlfriend or anything, but that´s not something you go out and get because you need it…huh?"

A blush threatens to make Minako turn as red as a tomato. He makes me feel so special… She smiles up at him and nod. He is a serious boyfriend, just as Junpei predicted, and she finds herself liking it more and more. She feels treasured, protected and loved in a way that might spoil her. The butterflies in her stomach intensifies as he hands her a small bag. A gift?

"I wanted to give you this today, will you take it?"

Minako looks at him before she carefully look into the bag and find the rabbit doll he bought for her. Minako´s eyes widen and her blush gets worse. He bought her a stuffed animal! It´s so cheesy but she can´t help but smile with happiness. She has never gotten a gift like this before, not since her parents died. Minako hugs it softly to her chest.

"I love it." Minako tells him honestly.

"Don´t you think it looks like you? What´s with that face? It looks just like you!"

He laughs as her expression changes. Minako didn´t know she looked like a rabbit but she decides that it´s a good thing, because they can be kinda cute.

"Hahah, I guess… thanks senpai! I´ll treasure it." She murmurs.

"There was a time when I thought that I was just seeing Miki in you but when I bought that I knew that wasn´t the case. Passing by toy stores always made me think of her but your face was the first thing that popped to my mind when I saw the doll… " He tells Minako in a gentle voice."I always tried to forget what happened…."

Minako puts the rabbit in the bag before she turns to him. So he thought of Miki when he saw me at first? That explains a lot. She caused him pain too, just like he hurt her even though both of them didn´t think of it that way.

"You shouldn´t try to forget her…or what happened. " Minako say gently in an almost careful manner. "You should treasure the memory of her and just… let the pain go away. I think that accepting what happened is a big step to get rid of the pain."

"…But it´s hard…" He murmurs.

"I think I understand but…I´ve never lost a sibling. " Minako tells him quietly. "The pain is different from losing your parents…probably."

Akihiko glances at Minako from the corner of his eye. They´ve both lost important people and experienced that special pain that never let them go completely. That pain brings them together just as much as their love for the other does. Minako flinches as Akihiko touches her shoulder to gain her attention. She turns to him and smiles weakly. Minako didn´t mean to talk about sad stuff especially when she should be happy because she´s on a date with him. He returns Minako´s smile with a sincere one of his own.

"Thank you Minako, if it hadn't been for you I might never have tried to get over it. I would have just continued to pretend that I had…. When I was sad, happy or…confused you were always by my side even though I didn´t see that at first. I want you to know that I´ll be there for you too, when you are going through hard times. Because from now on…we have each other…"

Minako wants to cry. His words are so honest and true and they touch her like never before. They have each other now so if they feel sad they should talk to the other about it. Share the pain, share the happiness and grow as a pair. He´s right and Minako will remember his words when she has her doubts. Curly hair frames her face as she nods.

"Yeah, that´s what a boyfriend/girlfriend relationship is about right? I´ll try to remember that. And don´t hesitate to call me when you´re down because… I want to make you happy."

The touch on her shoulder gets firmer as her words reach him. Minako´s heart starts beating faster when she notices how close he is and the way he looks at her. There´s only her in his eyes now and here´s no signs of hesitation of confusion in their depths any longer. Minako´s body is acting all strange. During the two months that they´ve been dating they haven´t gone further than holding hands and a short hug from time to time. Minako can´t lie and say she didn´t wish for more. Akihiko seems to be fighting to tell her something important.

"I hope you don´t mind me saying this but… you mean a lot to me…I love you." He confesses boldly.

Minako´s expression seems to alert him and his eyes widen as he let go of her and leans back a bit.

"I wonder what kind of person I would be if you didn´t come here… I mean to Port Island.. not this room! Don´t think I´m g-g-gonna lose control or something because I let you in here!"

Minako chuckles at his behavior but above all to release her own feelings. His confession surprised her a lot and she feels like she needs to laugh to release some happiness because she´ll explode otherwise.

"C´mon… don´t laugh!" He tells Minako with an embarrassed frown but the smile on his lips tells her he enjoys it.

Minako´s chuckle dies slowly and she finds herself staring at the slightly blushing man in front of her. He is so adorable and Minako can´t keep her emotions in check. What if she wanted him to lose control for once? Or will he reject me …? Minako frowns as she approaches him, she is still uncertain. Akihiko blinks twice as he follows Minako with his gaze but he doesn´t move away as she comes closer to him. His eyes watch her intensively and the blush on his cheeks get redder when he notices the small distance between them. A tiny but noticeable gasp leaves his tempting lips as Minako´s fingertips touch his cheek. His skin feels so soft and she can´t help herself from being bold.

Stupid Akihiko, for being this open and dense! React! Reject me or …do something!

He doesn´t react at all as Minako puts her other hand on his shoulder, leans in even closer and touches his lips with her own. It´s a small touch, soft and gentle and Akihiko can pull away if he wants to but he stays completely motionless. Minako withdraws slowly with fear growing in her chest and she looks him in the eye. Akihiko stares at Minako with confusion but his blush tells her it´s due to his shyness. Minako sigh with relief. Akihiko blinks and his face turn completely red.

"M-minako…" He stutters her name before he swallows his saliva.

"Sorry, I didn´t mean to do that…all of a sudden. Well, I wanted to but you know…." Minako starts talking nonsense. "Sor—"

A pair of lips crashes down on her mouth and interrupts her. Eyes widen when two strong arms encircle Minako and pulls her flat against his chest. A soft sigh leaves her as she returns the show of emotions. Their touches are uncertain and shy but the kiss leaves them both breathless when they part. His arms stay around Minako and she continues to lean onto him as she regains her breath. Akihiko´s pounding heart is very loud and she guesses hers is too. Akihiko regains his composure first.

"You´re the only one… I can act this way around. would you mind calling me by my first name?" He murmurs into Minako´s hair.

"Oh… but Senpai—" Minako´s eyes widen when she realizes she just addressed him with the politeness he wanted her to drop. "Ehm… Aki..hiko… it feels odd calling you like this." Minako murmurs back quietly.

"It makes me happy." He tells her while giving her body a gentle squeeze. "I´ll be sure to make you happy, too. In time, I hope you can find even more about me …to love…"

Minako about to answer when two loud knocks on the door alerts her. She jumps out of the embrace and almost hit her head as she fall sdown close to his TV. Akihiko flinched too but reacted more collected than his girlfriend did. Minako holds her breath as someone from the outside starts opening the door. Her body turns ice-cold as someone enters. She wants to disappear when Shinjiro appears in the doorway.

"The kitchen is free Aki—" His eyes widen a fraction when he notices Minako. "Leader, what are you doing here?" He asks, pretending to be surprised. His tone however makes you think he planned to interrupt them.

Akihiko and Minako flinches once more at this and they look at each other. This makes the other man even more suspicious.

"We were discussing Tartarus." Minako enters the leader-mode. "But I´m going to make some pancakes now. Be right back"

And I flee.

"Okaaaay." Shinjiro smirks at the still blushing Akihiko before he turns around.

Shinjiro stops in the doorway and smirks as he looks at his long time friend from over his shoulder. "Good work, Aki."

"Shut up..." Akihiko hides his face with his hands, even his ears are glowing red.


End file.
